I am Not As Tough As I Appear in Movies- Jaiye Kuti

I think Attention Should Be Paid to Subtitling Yoruba Movies- Jaiye Kuti

Nollywood actress, Jaiye Kuti has disclosed that she is not as tough as she appears in movies.

The Yoruba actress is popular for her roles as a wicked mother, conniving wife or wicked mother-in-law, of which many have accused her of being so in real life.

In an exclusive interview, the actress put this assumption to rest. She said that although she might be very tough on her kids, she is in no way as wicked and brutal as most people portrayed her to be, Legit.ng reports.

“Yes, I am a very strict person. I don’t take nonsense and I don’t give nonsense. I like people who are honest and truthful to a level. I treat people well as human beings and I try to be upright with them. But when people try to take advantage of me, I don’t accept it. However, I am not as tough as I appear in movies. I have children and I have been able to, by the grace of God, raise them properly. If you ask the people in my house, they would tell you that I don’t take nonsense.”

The veteran actress also spoke on the visible changes in the industry.

According to her, there was a time when actors would agree to feature in movies produces by their friends without pay.

“It does not happen like that again. No one has ever called me to feature on a movie for free because we’re friends. Gone are the days when that happened. We all have responsibilities and if you keep working for free, how do you make headway? You need every movie to pay for your bread and butter. I pay whoever I invite to work with me and I expect the same treatment. These days, there are several producers from different places. Some of them are just investors who want to make money from their investments.

She also addressed issues in the Yoruba movie industry, adding that subtitles should be paid attention to so that the industry can go global.

“What I wish for Nollywood is that we should remain focused on the job so that we can start putting out better productions. Though we act in Yoruba, we can make it global. Bollywood is made by Indians but they subtitle their movies and it is enjoyed all over the world. In that same vein, I am looking forward to a situation where Yoruba movies will be enjoyed across the world.

“I want people to enjoy our movies and put it in the class of standard films. We should do away with substandard movies. So many people love our movies but they advise us to improve on the standards so that they can be able to compete globally. I have seen movies done in Japanese, French and other languages that have traveled widely.

“Subtitling is in the hands of the producer. I think proper attention should be paid to that aspect. The producer should employ somebody competent to get the correct subtitles so that we wouldn’t be a laughing stock,” she said.